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The Opposite Ends of Mercedes-Benz

What’s a Unimog, you ask? Well, if we look to the reliable and almost-always-accurate Wikipedia, we’ll learn that Unimog is a range of multi-purpose 4-wheel-drive trucks produced by Mercedes-Benz.

With diesel power, high ground clearance, a flexible frame and a powerful off-road ability, Unimogs can be found in places where other motor vehicles dare not go.

That includes the freeways of Los Angeles, where one very famous Unimog once lived.

If you want to buy a used Unimog, there are places online where you can find them listed for anywhere between $7,000 and nearly $100,000, depending on year, model and condition. Mercedes-Benz even has a concept for an all-new “extreme all-terrain Unimog.”

The ultimate of all Unimogs, a 1977 model currently owned by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, is up for sale at just $275,000. It’s a high price, but it’s okay, because he signed the dashboard.

If I were looking for an all-purpose off-roader, I’d rather hit up the CarGurus listings and find something slightly more civil, such as a used Hummer or Land Rover.

The other end of the spectrum is where my passions lie, though. I want a sports car, and the one to wait for is the new 911-challenging AMG GT, the first car from MB to directly challenge the formidable Porsche.

With a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, the AMG GT produces 456 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. Zero-to-60 mph should come in 3.9 seconds, with a top speed of 189 miles per hour. The AMG GT S edition will improve on those numbers only slightly, with 503 hp, 479 lb-ft of torque, a top speed of 193 mph and a 0-60-mph time around 3.7 seconds.